Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has confirmed that new signing Manuel Ugarte will be available for Sunday’s painful-to-watch pummelling at the hands of Liverpool.
Ugarte joins United from Paris St-Germain for a reported £42.29m taking Ten Hag’s spending since he was appointed in 2022 to somewhere in the region of 600 squillion quid.
The Uruguayan flies to Manchester for a medical later today and could be in contention for a starting berth when turgid United host free-flowing Liverpool at the weekend.
Ten Hag believes Ugarte could get the best out of Casemiro who he signed to get the best out of Cristian Eriksen who he signed to get the best out of Scott McTominay who he is selling to Napoli to make way for Ugarte.
‘If Manuel trains with the squad, then he’s a good chance of being involved in Sunday’s drubbing’, the Dutchman told Paddy Power News.
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‘Will he start? It’s possible. But most likely I’ll bring him on for Mason Mount or Marcus Rashford when we’re 4-0 down with 10 minutes to go’.
Discussing what Ugarte will bring to this United side, the 54-year-old said:
‘He is an aggressive ball winner for PSG and his national side which is just what our midfield has been lacking. So, we’ll not utilise him like that at all.
In related news, Scott McTominay has arrived in Naples ahead of his proposed move to Napoli and has received a rather unusual welcome from the fans.
Napoli Ultras held aloft retro shirts worn during the era of Diego Maradona emblazoned with the sponsorship of confectionery giants Mars.
However, the fans had written ‘malconio’ above the Mars logo, which is the Italian word for battered, a nod to Scotland’s new signature dish.
‘Friggeremo la tua pizza (we’re going to deep fry your pizza)’, they chanted as the 27-year-old walked through Naples-Capodichino International Airport.
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